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(No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet,- 1.

0. N. EATON.

ENDLESS PACKAGE CARRIER 0R ELEVATOR.

Patented Jan. 31,1882.

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(No Model.) 2 sheetssheet 2.

'0. N. EATON.

V ENDLESS PACKAGE CARRIER 0R ELEVATOR. No. 252,931. Patented Jan.31,1882.

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OLIVER I. EATON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ENDLESS PACKAGE CARRIER OR ELEVATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 252,931, dated January31, 18(2.

(N0 model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OLIVER N. EATON, 0 the city of New York,in thecounty and State of New York, have invented a new and useful EndlessPackage Carrier or Elevator, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide suitable means for takingpackages, bales. barrels, boxes, &c., from the holds of vessels orsimilar situations, continuously carrying them to their destination onthe wharf or into the warehouse, and depositing them at such destinationwithout dumping or otherwise disturbing their equilibrium or theircontents during transit. To this purpose 1 have adapted parallel endlesschains or ropes travt-ling on put leys or guides suitably located, ashereinafter set forth, and carrying suspended between them one or morecradles capable of taking up, carrying, and setting down a load in themanner and with the construction hereinafter set forth at length. Sin-hdevices enable me to unload a vessel and deposit the load at itsdestination in a continuous delivery, thnslosing no time in idleintervals, and without any disturbance or injury resulting fromhandling. The apparatus is adjustable to the varying circumstances ofvessel, wharf, storage warehouse, 850.

My apparatus and devices for accomplishing these objects are illustratedin the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical sectionof the entire apparatus. Fig. 2 is a front and Fig. 3 is a backelcvatioin aud Fig. 4 is an enlarged per-.

spective view of the carrying-cradle and its mode of operation.

Similarlettersindicatesimilarparts throughout the several views.

A is the wharf, and B the vessel.

K K are standards to be placed in the hold of the vessel or a similarsituation, and bearing thepulleys O U and D D.

L L are companion standards bearing the pulleys F F and acting to bracethe standards K K, and thus form a rigid framework. These latterstandards rest against the sides of the hatchway or any convenient placeof attachment on the vessels deck, and are respectively pivotedorjointed to the standards K K at It R, whereby the two sets ofstandards become adjustable, and may be lengthened or shortened bychanging the relative location of thejoint or pivot.

M M is a suitable frame work bearing the pulleys E E, which are fittedwith teeth or sprockets to engage and drive the endless chains or ropesO O in thedirectiou indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1,-and bearing alsothe motive gearing H H and G G. Power may be applied in the ordinaryways to either the upper or lower gearwheels. This framework maybe mademovable by means of wheels, to accommodate. any movement of the vesselor to facilitate removal or adjustment. Connecting these frame-worksorstrnctures in the vessel and on the wharf is anotherframe-work, I I,composed of parallel sides, and made extensible to suit the varyingdistances between the two end frames. This last frame-work is alsopivotedat R R and S S. and may therefore be raised or lowered at eitherend-as,for instance, into the position indicated by the dotted lines inFig. 1. This framework has bars Q Q, which bear suitable guides, J J, tosupport the carrying-cradles and relieve the strain or tens on of theendless chains orropes. These bars Q Q may be extended above to supportan awning or covering to protect the goods during transit, or the wholestructure may he inclosed for the purposes of complete pr0tection.Friction and wear are prevented by rollers or frictionwheels, placedeither in the guides or on the trunnions of the cradles. \Vhen thesewheels are placed on the trunnions of the cradles they may be so locatedas to pass between and on the inside of the pulleys,and the guides maybe brought out to accommodate them, as shown most clearly in Figs. 2 and3. In this way the necessity of grooving the face of the pulleys toaccommodate these wheels may be avoided. Upon the pulleys thus 10- catedthe parallel endless chains or ropes O O ing to the judgment of themechanic. It consists of two sides, here sector-like and open, having attheir angular and upper extremities trunnions T T, adapted to bear inthe chains or ropes and suspend like a pendulum the cradle and itsload,and having at and connecting its opposite and lower extremities abar, U, having laterallyprojeeting fingers or teeth V V, suited to beara load, and yet allow the passage between of corresponding sets offingers or teeth, W W, stationary at the points of removal and deposit.

The cradle N in Fig. l is shown in the act of taking up a load fortransportation from the stationary platform Y at the point of removal,and the cradle N is shown in the same figure as just depositing the loadat its destination onthestationary platform orslide P,atthcpoint ofdeposit.

The frame-work MM may be situated on the wharfor 011 any story of thestorage-warehouse and the apparatus adjusted as indicated.

The manner of use and operation of this carrier or elevator is asfollows: A package or bale,.or more than one, constituting the load tobe transported, is placed upon the slide X in the hold of the vessel,and slides down onto the platform Y across the intervening space, whichis very small and only sufiicient to permit the passage of thefinger-bar of the cradle; or the load may be deposited directly on theplatform Y. There it rests upon the fingers composing the platform untilthe arrival of a cradle, whose fingers, passing up between the fingersof the platform, take up and carry the load until the second platform,P, at the point of deposit or destination, is reached, whereon the loadis left or deposited as the fingers of the cradle pass down between thefingers of this second platform. From this second platform the load maybe removed by hand; or the platform may be declined, as shown in Fig.

whereupon the load will slide down out of the way to its place.Throughout its journey each cradle is self-righting or automatically adjustable to the perpendicular, so that, the load maintains itsequilibrium throughout transportation. This obviates the possibility ofinjury or disturbance to the load during transit. The load is also takenup and deposited without any jar or dumping, and this is another elementof safety to the load. This operation is repeated, and the removal,carriage, and delivery become more or less continuous, according to thenumber of cradles and the rapidity of revolution.

The vessel may be loaded from the wharf or warehouse by reversing thedirection of revolution, and the operation of the apparatus would be thesame as in the opposite direction.

Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. An endless traveling carrier or elevator, preferably portable andadjustable, composed of parallel endless chains or ropes, traveling uponproperly located pulleys and bearing suspended between such chains orropes, one or more carriers or cradles adapted to take up, carry,.anddeposit loads.

2. -A movable carrying cradle self-adjusting to the perpendicular andhaving two sides,with means of suspension at their tops, and at andbetween their bottoms a connecting-bar, from which project laterallyteeth or fingers suited to support a load and to'permit the passagebetween of corresponding stationary sets of teeth or fingers in thetaking up and depositing of the loads.

3. A method of removing and transporting

